BPM|Pro to be replaced with four new shows to 'reflect industry changes'

DJ expo BPM|Pro will be replaced by four specialist shows in 2018/19, as announced today by the organiser’s CEO on the second day of the show.

Mark Walsh, CEO of Marked Events, said the show has “closed on a high and will forever be remembered as a landmark show for the industry”.

He continued: “Our industry is about the user groups, the networks and your solutions. With that in mind, it is with great pleasure I announce our new line-up of shows, which will be rolled out throughout 2018 and 2019.”

Held at Birmingham’s Genting Arena for the past two years, the original format of BPM|Pro, BPM, launched in 2007, specifically for the electronic music and DJ market. The Pro element was added – albeit as a separate entity – in 2014, which shifted the core focus to the professional audio and lighting industry. In 2016, the two expos joined together as BPM|Pro, with the shows’ frequent changes mirroring the shifts seen in the events industry over the past decade.

Walsh said in a statement released today: “As we all know, times have changed, the way we market, the sales channels, and routes to market have all changed vastly in the last decade. BPM was successful, and remained successful ‘til the end, but I felt that the momentum was starting to drop due to countless industry factors and the current economic climate. If we continued along the same path it would be near impossible to maintain the high standards you, and our visitors, have come to expect.”

He continued in today’s ‘open letter to the industry’: “This is a bold move, but one I firmly believe in. The shows will be affordable and highly focussed to the needs of the audience. By delivering a targeted visitor experience at a tangible cost we can build worthwhile events for the future of our industry.”